The disclosed embodiments relate generally to distributed client-server computer network systems, and in particular, to a system and method for handling concurrent speech. Every day, hundreds of conferences, teleconferences in particular, are held. Unlike those at an in-person conference, attendees at a teleconference often join and speak from different geographical locations. Due to a lack of visual cues and other reasons, however, attendees at a teleconference are more likely to speak at or around the same time, resulting in simultaneous, concurrent or otherwise overlapping speaking. Despite the increased likelihood of this overlapping speaking, users of a teleconferencing system still expect their communication with other users to be orderly and effective.
In conferencing systems, when many attendees speak at or around a same time, a speaker's speech may not be heard for an extended period, until after all “early” speech has been outputted. The extended delays often result in user frustration and confusion, as the speaker tries to speak again or to ascertain whether the conferencing system has suffered an error or data loss. The situation is exacerbated when a speech is frequently interrupted, and must be repeated numerous times before it is fully delivered, reducing the effectiveness of the conferencing systems.